The invention relates to a device having a camera unit with a lens for recording images of the exterior of a motor vehicle, a support assembly having a through hole, and in which the camera unit is received such that it can move between a standby position, retracted into the support assembly, and an active position, in which the camera unit protrudes outward, at least in part, through the through hole of the support assembly, a cover element, which is designed such that it can move between a closed setting, in which it closes the through hole of the support assembly, and an open setting, and a movement mechanism for moving the camera and the cover element.
Devices with a camera unit designed for recording images of the exterior of a motor vehicle are already known from the prior art. Devices of this type comprise a camera unit, which is received in a housing for the camera unit such that it can move between a standby position and an active position. By way of example, camera units of this type may be used, for example, in the field of parking assistance for motor vehicles. If, for example, the reverse gear of the motor vehicle is shifted to, the camera unit moves from the standby position into the active position, wherein the camera unit is driven at least partially out of the housing. As a result, images of the area behind the motor vehicle are recorded by the camera unit, and displayed on a screen for the driver of the motor vehicle. If driving in reverse is completed, and the driver shifts out of the reverse gear, the camera unit can again be pivoted back from the active position into the standby position.
In order to protect the camera unit from contaminants, at least in the standby position, a cover element is provided, by means of which the hole, through which the camera unit travels out of the housing for the camera unit, can be closed when the camera unit is in the standby position. As a result, in the transition from the standby position to the active position of the camera unit, the cover element must be moved between a closed setting and an open setting at the same time.
A device of the type referred to in the introduction is known, for example, from DE 10 2012 025 626 A1. With this known device for receiving a camera unit, a carriage is moveably accommodated in a housing, onto which carriage the camera can be attached. The carriage is driven by a gear drive, which has swinging elements that are connected in an articulated manner to the carriage. Each swinging element can be pivoted about a stationary axle on the housing. The disadvantage with this prior art is that the cover element is pivotably supported on the outside of the housing, and when it pivots upward, a corresponding spatial requirement must be provided for on the outside of the housing, having a negative impact on the compactness of the device and the camera unit.
Furthermore, a device with a camera unit is known from DE 10 2007 052 402, designed for recording images of the exterior of a motor vehicle. The movement of the camera unit disclosed therein, and the resulting movement of the disclosed cover element in relation to the camera unit comprises numerous movement steps, such that a complex kinematic activation of the cover element is necessary. In particular, the device disclosed therein requires significant installation space in order to mover the camera unit and the cover element.
The object of the invention is to create a solution, by means of which a device having a camera unit and a cover element are provided in a structurally simple and cost-effective manner, requiring a small installation space, and which simultaneously is distinguished by a movement path that is kept small, which can keep the time interval for deploying the camera unit short.